The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-11-16
LOST ON THE LAKE.
A Propeller Goes Down in Lake
Michigan With Many People.

The propeller Vernon, of the Northern
Michigan Line, foundered during terrible
gale which ragged on Lake Michigan, and of
her entire crew and list of passengers, mum
bering over thirty, and probably close on to
fifty, only one man escaped. No greater
loss Of life has occurred on any one wreck on
the lakes this season.
The first news of the disaster came to
Chicago in a dispatch from Milwaukee,
where the steamer Superior had arrived.
The Superior had passed not only large
quantities Of wreckage, but had passed, un-
able to succor, a raft and a small boat in
which persons appealing in vain for help
were seen.
"To pass one man on raft appealing for
our help, another dying from exposure, and
woman and three men, one of the latter hail
ing, with coat stuck up on his oar, all being
tossed about in a terrible sea with
out our being able to render them
any assistance, was heartrending in
the extreme" said Captain Moran, Of the
Superior, in telling his story. 'We were
also fighting for our lives, our steamer
the Captain, land it was three hours
before we had made repairs so that
we could handle ourselves, and then we
were out Of sight Of the shipwrecked
men. 1t was about IL o'clock this morning
when off Two Rivers, some miles out in Lake
Michigan, that we passed through some lum-
ber Five miles further on we passed a lot
age for some distance. Among it was
furniture and bed clothing besides
life preservers here and there.
When about six miles east-northeast of Mani
towoc lookout called me Oh deck with the
information that a raft could be seen
with a man on it. AS I went on
deck ! could plainly see the man way way
ing upright on the raft, which was about
half mile between us and the shore, and the
sea was washing over it. It appeared about
twelve feet square and as if it might be the
top of q cabin"
Ten minutes later we sighted another raft,
also about half mile inside Of us. 1t was
much smaller, apparently not more than 4
by g feet, and looked like a piece of bull
warks. On it was lying. man who, al
us, as he was too far gone. We could
see him dip his head, and his frail little
float was tossed about in the sea as
though he was about dead. We saw O yawl
with three men and one woman in it little
further south. There may, however, have
been more Of them lying down in the
boat, the three we saw being on the seats.
One Of the men was standing up holding his
oar with his coat swinging on it to attract
attention. Their hearts must have been
glo01hea ggelp from US. US How How inhaman ol0H they
must have thought us when we passed
them by, and within a mile, too, without
even turning our vessel toward them! But
with our steering gear, disabled as it was, we
could not steer our vessel, and there was
nothing for us to do but hope that some of
the vessels coming up the lake astern Of us
might discover them and pick them
up.h
Captain Williams, Of the schooner Joseph
Paige, told similar story. His vessel had
passed through the wreekege little later
than the Superior 1--WE encountered a part
Of a pilothouse," said Captain Williams,
land there was man on it. He was of our
port quarter about half mile and was
clinging to the pilothouss. He seemed to
be getting along fairly well under the
circumstances. The sea was running so high
that it lifted our boat from the 'davits. Had
we discovered the man on top OF the pilot
house before we got abreast we might have
picked him up, but we saw him too late, and
it was impossible to turn back in the terrible
gale of wind that was blowing"
Probably not less than 80 and perhaps GO
lives We're lost with the steamer. The
exact number may never be known:
Only one list Of the passengers and
crew was kept, and that was aboard
say that the crew numbered between twenty
three and twenty-five. and they know the
names of only eight. Wheelmen, flremen, and
deck hands are changed so frequently that no
effort is made to keepa list OF them.
A later rep, stltes that one mana mem.
ber of the crew-was picked up alive on
raft.